Manufacture of hydrated sodium carbonate.



UNITED STATBES PrtIlENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. RIDENOUR, OF PHILADELPHIK, PENNSYLVANIA.

MANUI'ACTUBE OF HYDBATED'SODIUH OABBONA'I'E.

No. -912mm.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16. 1mm

Application filed March 6, 100's; stun No. 419,460.

dissolving't e sodium carbonate, with the vfor the production 0 carbonate, to five hundred pounds of soda' production of an im alpable powder .01 amorphous roduct, di erent from the usual crystalline orm of the compound.

In the manufacture of hydrated sodium carbonate as usually practiced, the soda ash is dissolved with the reduction of a hydrate, as the decahydrate, which is evaporated down at it definitely regulated hem eratu're to produce the lower hydrates (as the monohydrate used in the trade as for scouring and in boiler compounds) which assumes crystalline form, less readily available for use and produced at considerably greater cost than the powder resulting from my process.

In the preferred 'ractice of my process,

ginonohydrated sodium ash of fifty-eight per cent. sodium oxid, in

an operating mechanical mixer, there is grad ually adde one hundred and twenty-five ounds of water so that the water is evenly distributed throu bout the entire mass, as an incident of whic great heat is developed and a large quantity of steam is evolved. The mass is continuously stirred until cooled, when there will result. a powdered product, assaying about fifteen and six-tenths per cent. of water, in which'there is one molecule of water of crystallization combined with one molecule of sodium carbonate. The use of soda ash and water in the foregoing proortions gives the most uniform product, but it is 1)0SS1l)lB to obtain a chemical union. be tween other proportions of water and soda ash, as of fifty-eight or forty-eight er cent. sodium oxid, without dissolution an crystallization. To obtain a higher hydrated sodium carbonate, with five hundred ounds of soda ash of fifty-cl ht 'per cent. so ium oxid there should be uni .ormly mixed by constant sfirring two hundred pounds of water and. the stirring continued during the cooling of the product, high heat being generate and a lap e amount of steam evolved. This roduct W11 contain about twenty-three an fourtenths r cent. of water chemically combined with ti: sodium carbonate, or one and onehalf molecules of water to each molecule of sodium carbonate. A chemical compound can be obtained from the use of a smaller amount of water but this true .chemical compound can best be obtained by the use of the proportions s ecified.

It is to e understood'that theiise of the 'limited amount of water in the manner specified will produce the desired product directly, without boilin down or crystallization, while the use 0? an excess of water produces a solution requiring a carefully rcgulatedeva oration with crystallization.

Chemical sa ts, as phosphate of soda, may be dissolved in the water used for the hydra, tion of the sodium carbonate (soda ash 58% or 48%), or added to the sodium carbonate before hydration, thereby obtaining true chemical reaction in a quick and eflicient manner, with the production of the desired product more economically than by the old method of dissolution and crystallization. Also the various tannin extracts, either with or without chemical salts, can be added to the water to be used or-to the sodaash before hydration, thus giving colored products containing'sodium carbonate, water of crystallization, tannin and chemical salt in combination.

These improvements have been; found to effect a great saving in time, up aratus, fuel,

WOl'kIHBfl and space in menu acture, with the production of a more uniform product in aform more economically used and bettcr suited to the trade than the crystalline form' produced b the usual practice.

Having descri ed my invention, I claim: 1. The process of manufacturing hydrated sodium carbonate which consists in intimately mixing definite proportions of water and soiu1n carbonate withoutdissolving the sodium carbonate, the water used being limited to an amount insuflicient to effect the crystallization of the product.

2. The process of manufacturing hydrated sodium carbonate which consists 1n intimately mixing definite proportions of water and sodium carbonate without dissolving the sodium carbonate and stirring the 'mixture until it is cool, the proportion of water combined being insuflicient to produce crys tallization.

5. The process of manufacturing hydrated sodium carbonate Whichtconsists 1n intimately mixing together sodium carbonate and water in sufficient proportion to pro duee the hydrated sodium carbonate without dissolving the sodium carbonate, the

amount of water being limited so as to pro-- dnee n pnhmuienti product.

1. The 'm-news of manufacturing hydrated sodium varbnnate which consists in inn-i mutely mixing together s dium carbonate in the form of soda ash and water, in the proportions of about five hundred pounds of soda ash to apgroximately one hundred and twenty to two Manually as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set In name this fourth day of March, A. D. 1908, in :lm presence of the subscribing Witnesses.

YVILL'IAM I). RIDENOUR.

Witnesses:

Jos. Ur. DENNY, J12, (InAnucs N. 13m mire undred. pounds of water, sub- 1:, 

